Dirigible air-ship.



PATENTED APR. 3, 1906.

A. BRATSGHIB.

DIRIGIBLE AIR SHIP.

APPLICATION FILED 111111.14, 1904.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed March 14,1904. Serial No. 198,160.

4 To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I," AMIEL BRA'rsoHiE, a citizen of the United States, residing at 'New Castle, in the county of Lawrence and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dirigible Air- Ships; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. a My invention relates to improvements in air-shi s or flying -machines, particularly with re erence to means for raising, lowering, propelling, and steering the same; and it on sists in the construction, combination, and arrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of my invention is to pr0v1de a novel mechanism for the purposes described which is simple, strong, light, and durable and is not likely to get out of order.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the supporting, propelling, and steering mechanism of an aeroplane. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the drive shafts, taken above the operating-gearing, and the tilting yoke. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of my improved propeltheir outer ends with angle-armsfi, bolted to the sidesof the frame 4, and into said bearing is journaled the lower portion of a verticallydi sposed hollow shaft 7.

On the lower end of the shaft 7 is fixed a bevel gear-wheel 8, the teeth of which project upwardly. Arranged upon the shaft 7 1s a similar shaft or sleeve 9, which carries a bevel gear-wheel 10, the teeth of which pro ect downwardly.

12 and 13 denote two short horizontallypower disposed shafts, the outer ends of which are mounted in bearings 114, fixed to the inner sides of the'frame 3. The shafts l2 and 13 are adapted to pass through the sides of the frame 4 and to pivotally support the same in the frame 3, and the inner ends of the shafts are journaled in socket-bearings formed in the bearing-plates 5 The shaft 7 has a flangec0.llar 91, which bears on said bearingplates 5 and supports the said shaft.

On the shafts 12 and 13 and withinv theframe 4 are mounted bevel gear-wheels 14 and 15, respectively, and;fixed to or formed integral with the gear-wheels- 14' and 15 are sprocket-wheels 14" and 15. The bevel gear-wheels 14 and 15 are adapted to mesh with the gear-wheels 8 and 10, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

16 denotes two arms bolted to the sides of the frame 3, said arms being adapted to projec't outwardly and to have formed thereon bearings 17, in which is journaled a horizontally-disposed shaft 18, on which are fixedv two s rocket-wheels 19 and 20, the sprocketwhee 19 being connected to the sprocketwheel 14, mounted on the shaft 12 by means of a sprocket-chain 21, the sprocket-wheel 20 being adapted to be connected by a sprocket-chain v22 with any suitable motive (Not shown.)

By the arrangement of'gearing just described it will be seen that the gears on the shaft 7 and sleeve 9 are rotated to drive-said shaft and sleeve in op osite directions, thepurpose of which wil hereinafter appear.

The bevel-gear l5 and sprocket-wheel 15 are for use in an emergency and are adapted to run idly when the gears 14 and 14 are being driven. I

23 denotes a bail or yoke shaped frame mounted on the sleeve 9, the ends of which are adapted to pass downwardly through the frame 4 and to engage the sides thereof. The extreme lower ends of the yoke are connected by a cross-b ar 2 i. To the projecting end of this bar is connected an operating rod or lever 25,

the lower end of which lies within reach of' the operator. The object of this yoke and operating-rod is to permit the frame 4, together with the shafts 7 and 9, to be tilted or inclined.

On the upper ends of the shafts 7 and 9 are fixed wind-wheels 26 and 27, arranged one above the other in horizontal planes, the blades of the two wind-wheels being inclined in opposite directions, and the angle of inclination in each is upward in the direction in llar shaft revoluble on the first-named shaft, 5

'Ehe- Wind-wheels rotate which they rotate;

in opposite directions due to the oppositelydriven shafts 7 and 9 on which they aremounted. v

The wind-wheels are protected by a skeleton framework 28, formed of rods or wires suitably mounted on and braced to collars on the-shafts 7 and 9, as shown.

29' denotes a circular rack rotatably supreferably mounted upon idlerollers journa ed on ported upon the rods or-standards-2,

s-tud-shafts projecting from saidrods 2;

30 denotes .a ruddenblade fixed: to the rack 29'and adaptedv to be carried thereby.

3 11 denotes a short shaft journaled in a aneli on one end"- ch 32, which isadapted to mesh with the teeth on the rack the shaft 31 is mounted a crank hand'l'e 33 by which the gear 32is rotated, and which in turnmotates bearing fixedi to the posts, said= shaft isfixed a spur-gear 29. On the oppositeend of the raclr 29, which moves the rudder 30 aroundim any direction desired l t Will be seen from the description andl drawings that my improved meeharnsmprovides meansfior raising, lowering, and pro polling air-ships and alsofor steering the same;

It will be understood that whenthe windwheels are inclinedl or tilted! by the rod or lever 25 they cause the airship to=movein the direction 05 such inclination.

Having thus describ ed my invention, what I claim as new, and desiie-to-secure by'Lettens Patent, is-

1'-. Raising, lowering and propelling mechanism for air ships, comprising a supporting-frame having an outerfiame, an' inner framepivotally mounted in the outer frame and thereby adapted to be tilted on inclined, a bearing on the center of the i nnerframe ivot, a shaft extending above the inner ame and journalbd in said bearing, a tubu- ;a;p eller-wheeloneach of said shafts, reverse 'y-disposed' bevel-gears, one on each of 1,, saidishaftsand res ectively above and below said bearing, beve ed gears mounted on the inner-frame pivot and engaging said reversely disposed bevel-gears, means to actuate said gears to'rotat'e t e propeller-wheels and their shafts simultaneously in reverse directions, and means to tilt or incline theinner frame at will, substantially as described.

2. Raising, lowering, propelling and steering mechanism for air-ships, com rising a supporting-framehaving anouter ame, an inner frame pivotally mounted inthe outer frame and thereby adapted to-be tilted? or inclined, ab'earin i011 the center of the innerframe pivot, a s aft extending above the in- I ner-fr'ameand journal'edinsaid bearing, a tubular shaft revoluble on the first named shaf-t, a propeller-wheel on eachofsaid shafts, reversely-dmposedbevel v-gears, one on each low said bearing, beveled gears mounted:' on the inner-frame ivot and engaging s-aid'reverssly-disposed evel-gears, means to actuate said gears to rotate the propeller-wheels I and their shafts simultaneously in reverse directions, means to tilt or incline the inner frame at will, acircular rack revolubly su outer'f rame, a rudder-blade fixed to the said rack and carnied thereby, aspur-gear mounted on said su porting frame and engaging 4 .said rack, an means to rotate said. spurgear, substantially as described.

- In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AMI EL BRATSCHIE.

1 Witnesses:

L; SHAFFER, Gnome-n 1 Wnmoaarnnn.

ported on the supporting-frame below t e' Lei said shafts and respectively above and be- 

